The Landscape Model’s Three Elements
In the worst cases, schools function, as Regan puts it, “to perpetuate inequalities and an understanding of ‘normal,’ as opposed to educating” (personal communication, May 4, 2021). As a transgender person who is studying education foundations, policy, and practice, and who is looking to rewrite the norms of education to better support queer youth, Regan finds that too often education doesn’t just fail to teach to the students in the room but also may even intentionally try to determine the kinds of people they become—with too little regard for who the child already is and might want to be (personal communication, May 4, 2021). Espousing an education focused more on creating space for identity development and an understanding of self and others, and grounded in the ideas of critical pedagogues like Paulo Freire and bell hooks, Regan is interested in creating space in education for deep, meaningful reflection and self-awareness, not just academic achievement. The authors believe that the landscape model will help educators understand how to do this across the curriculum.
The Horizon On better understanding the identities and experiences students bring to their learning, we can define the horizon, or outcomes of education, in a much more personal way. When we define goals with and for each student as an individual, educators must let go, at least to some degree, of the belief that all students should learn exactly the same content and skills. While we recognize that current educational systems across the world function on the opposite premise and that most countries have developed extensive standards for education as well as myriad standardized exams to validate this form of student achievement, we believe that the system is built on a powerful fallacy: the well-rounded student.
©️2022 by Solution Tree Press
Young people need to choose for themselves when and how they wish to share their orientations with the adults and peers around them, and even well-intentioned attempts to define for or figure out kids’ orientations can end in significant harm for LGBTQ+ youth. Whether students come out on their own or are accidentally (or intentionally) “outed” by peers or adults trying to figure out their identity for them, LGBTQ+ youth are among the most vulnerable populations in K–12 education, more likely than their peers to experience increased discrimination, bullying, self-harm, homelessness, and violence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Educators using the landscape model use strategies to hold space for students to question and explore their own identities, safely and privately, and work to establish the kinds of relationships that make all students—LGBTQ+ or otherwise—feel safe enough to be themselves without threat.
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